All 12 Size Open-Face Movements

Units/Year in Thousands, 4943401 in Total

This chart shows the serial number distribution, by year. Elgin assigned ranges of numbers to production runs of a given grade of movement, over a given range of years. From this we can get a pretty good idea of how the product line changed over the years. The exact year a specific watch was sold, or left the factory, can not usualy be known for certain, but we have a good idea.

A hunting pocket watch case ('hunter') is a case with front cover, that closes over the watch dial and crystal. An open-face case has no cover, but much thicker glass over Hunter-case watch movements are disigned so that the stem, crown and bow of the watch at the 3 o'clock position. This is so that when holding the watch in the left hand, the stem pointing straight to the right, the 12:00 will be up, allowing the time to be read normally.

For an open face case, the movement has the stem and the seconds dial 180 degrees apart. These movements, when installed in an open face case will have the 12:00 up, at the stem, and the seconds dial below at 6:00.

When a hunter case movement is found in an open face case, the stem will be positioned at 3:00, and the seconds 90 degrees off it that. These are refered to 'side-winders' because the stem will point out to the right when the watch is held so that the 12 is up.

Open-face watch cases where considered a more professional and masculine style at the time. Railroad grade specifications required open-face cases.